EC Water Framework Directive

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of length of rivers in England and Wales has been designated as water bodies under the EC Water Framework directive.

Elliot Morley: A total of 51,182.7 km of rivers were designated as water bodies in accordance with the EC Water Framework directive (WFD) and associated EU WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance, and reported to the European Commission in March 2005 as part of the first round of river basin characterisation. The reported length is approximately 31 per cent. of the total river network of 163,837km (at the scale of 1:50,000) which represents catchments greater than 10km2 as specified under the system A typology for rivers under the directive.
	As part of the refinement of characterisation, the Environment Agency and DEFRA are working with English Nature and Countryside Council of Wales to ensure that smaller waters are dealt with in accordance with the relevant